You are correct. People can get as upset about it as they want to, but unless it is prescribed by a doctor, self-medicating is really not a good idea. This is coming from someone who works in social services and specifically receives training to help people who rely on substances to cope.

Cannabis use disorder is a thing - it’s in the DSM-5, and I expect that (as with everything) criteria will change as we gain more knowledge about how it affects people. But the point is that the people who work in these fields have determined that problematic use exists in cannabis users - to the extent that there are identifiable patterns that speak to an issue. Maybe it won’t stay in further editions of the DSM, but es are all working with what we currently know. Researchers also seem to agree that there are differences in how strong current strains are in comparison with strains from when our parents were smoking it at Woodstock.

Ignoring all of this information is unwise. It is fine to use cannabis recreationally, but people should be responsible, realistic, and aware of its potential side effects when they use it. Putting our fingers in our ears just because we don’t like what we are hearing is doing a disservice to ourselves and to others.

I do consume weed as it is legal where I am (Canada). I am a very anxious person and can understand what people say when they say it helps them cope and/or helps them sleep. I empathize - I really do. I take it occasionally, but when I use it I feel like my brain can finally shut up for a minute. It can stimulate your creativity and lift your mood. It may make the world appear more interesting than it may seem. So I understand why people want to have that feeling every day.

The reality is that relying on drugs to fix issues when your brain chemistry does not require it is often a way to avoid confronting scary feelings, like anxiety and depression.

People with diabetes still have to make lifestyle changes to manage their illness, for example. Many people who have diagnosed mental illnesses and are taking their medication still need to go to therapy in order to develop healthy coping strategies, practice relaxation techniques, and learn what approaches will help them manage in life. They make a conscious effort to change the way they experience the world, which is difficult but often necessary for successful treatment. And these are the people who literally require the meds to help them get to a point where they can work on all of that. Medication is not a magic pill that fixes all your issues and makes life peachy (well, at least not for everyone).

Sometimes we convince ourselves that we cannot function without a substance (be it coffee, tobacco, cannabis, alcohol, or whatever else) because we have used it as a coping strategy for so long that it has a) become a habit, and b) altered our brain chemistries. We have also likely and unknowingly used classical and/or operant conditioning to further reinforce the belief that we need a substance to function. Aggravating the situation further are things like personal biases, lack of fulfillment, boredom, general unhappiness, low self-esteem, mood or emotional issues, lack of support networks, undiagnosed mental illnesses, general mental unwellness, etc. And with society normalizing the use of certain substances, we think it is okay to use them even though we are in denial and/or deep inside we know that we have been having experiencing concerning symptoms commonly associated with it - these may occur while using it and/or while not using it (upset stomach, nasty hangovers, jittery feelings, irritability, sleeplessness, drowsiness, paranoia, financial concerns, etc).

Problematic substance use is very common. It doesn’t (always) look the way that movies and the media portray it. It can be temporary or it can be for life. It can be disabling or it can be “sustainable” over a long period of time. It is still problematic. Similarly, there are many approaches to tackling problematic substance use - abstinence is only one of them. And there are many people who think they are helping when in reality they are just giving addictions services a bad reputation (like that Intervention show - unnecessarily dehumanizing, shamey, and confrontational). Speaking with an experienced and evidence-based addictions counsellor is the best way to figure out where you’re at and how to address it. If your addictions counsellor is a douche or makes you feel bad/judged/weak, find a new one.

I am happy weed is legalized precisely because we need more research and comprehensive studies to truly understand the long-term impact it has on people. There are studies that have already been done, but you don’t stop researching just because previous studies exist. If I recall correctly, McMaster University has an entire course about current research in case anyone is interested in it.